Our ambitions
At Tetra Pak, were constantly looking to improve our environmental record. As the worlds largest manufacturer of juice and milk cartons, an important part of this drive is to make it as easy as possible for consumers to recycle our cartons.
Carton recycling has come a long way in the past four years, but we recognise theres still more to do. Back in 2007, there was a sparse UK carton recycling infrastructure. Despite having invested in UK reprocessing and having set up a 1 million National Recycling Fund to support the expansion of carton collection, it was not happening fast enough.
So, with our industry partners at the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE UK) we funded a recycling network, which could be easily adopted by local authorities across the nation. The scheme now covers 88% of local authorities, with 33% collecting at kerbside, up from 30% at the start of the 2011.
Reprocessing
We understand that carton recycling is seen as complicated, but it is actually a simple process, following most of the steps required in traditional paper pulping. The baled cartons are dropped into a pulper to break them down to a fibrous soup. The fibre is separated from the aluminum foil and polyethylene, and is recovered to make new paper products.
Some local authorities believe a lack of UK reprocessing is a barrier for carton recycling. This is a daily challenge Tetra Pak faces since the closure of the Smith Anderson Mill in 2006; our solution has been to ensure that the cartons are recycled by shipping them to Scandinavia for reprocessing.
While the processing technology and recycling networks are up and running, we would like to bring carton recycling even closer to home. Our ambition is simple: UK-based carton reprocessing, to support and facilitate local authorities moves to kerbside collection of cartons.
Waste may be a globally traded commodity, and Life Cycle Assessments have shown the benefits of recycling in neighbouring European countries with their richer renewable energy power networks, but as a carbon neutral UK business we want to minimise the miles travelled and help local authorities even further by providing a UK solution.
Driving kerbside collections
The biggest challenge for local authorities adding cartons to the kerbside mix is the timings involved with their current waste contracts and the balance between the different services their contractors provide.
In support of this, we aim to work with sorting facilities and waste contractors to achieve solutions that enable local authorities to collect at the kerbside. We have developed excellent relationships with a number of waste contractors such as Viridor, J&B Recycling and HW Martin Waste Limited. They accept cartons either via co-mingled collections within their Material Recycling Facilities (MRFs) or separate them out – playing a vital role in helping Local Authorities make the switch to kerbside collections.
Tetra Pak and ACE UK also continue to fund bring banks across the country, with current funds secured until the end of 2011. Some feel that two-year funding contracts are too short but in reality we have yet to withdraw funds for the scheme that has been running for more than three years.
Sustainability and strong environmental actions are at the heart of what we do. Well continue to work with our partners to overcome barriers, improve recycling and identify new solutions to deliver UK reprocessing.
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